Is it ok to grab fish by the gill plate when my intentions are to release? I dont touch the red part of the gills just the plate cover under their jaw. I find it alot easier/safer and faster, than grabbing heavy ones by their bottom lip, especially when they have a mouth full of VMC's.. I released a heavy, 4o+"er last night this way..just made me wonder after it swam off if I had done any damage to it...I've heard people say its bad, others say it doesnt effect them at all.

what do you think?

Works for me, just be careful of the sharp plate spine on the gill cover, rub it the wrong way and you could get a pretty bad cut.

I had to start doing that yesterday as my thumbs had been turned to hamburg. I was thinking the same thing, hope this is not harmful. I did let any that I was capable of go while in the water. p.

I try to stay away from the gill plate as it carries loads of bacteria. On bigger fish just hook your thumb under the outside edge of the jaw and stick your fingers in his mouth (like you are grabbing a baseball bat). Just be careful of hooks.

If you don't want to lip it you can grab it just behind the head with your thumb and index finger, I try not to touch there gills, it is like sticking your hand in there lungs

If you want to lift it up after grabbing it by the lip, on the bigger fish you will be grabbing the lower lip with your hand, not your thumb. When you swing it up, put a hand under its belly to give it extra support.

my thumbs had been turned to hamburg. p.

Sounds like a Good Problem to have.....Mine, Unfortunately are in perfect shape

The issue isn't so much the bacteria that are in the gill plate, but the bacteria introduced by your hand into the gill plate. I have read alot that says it greatly reduces the chance of survival after being released. Not sure if avoiding the gills themselves changes it.

As long as you don't touch the gills themselves, the fish should be O.K., but it is a real problem getting you finger up in there without touching the gills.

Sometimes, it's the only safe way to handle a really big fish. The whole-fisted lip grab works well when you're fishing jigs or other rigs with a single hook, but trebles across the face presents a real problem ;)

Your safety comes before any fish's well being, in my book ;)

throw on a glove and you won't have to worry:) Cheap gardening gloves work really well....Although I always forget to bring them.

Nobody here has ever heard the tearing sound a 35 pound plus fish's gill plate makes when you lift them like that? I don't think its a good idea on larger fish.

lip grips for large. cabelas make a floatable on the cheap. safe for you and more importantly the fish.

Talked to a guy that got a gill plate cut and had the red line running up his arm .. He said the doctor told him there're bacterias in the ocean that have not even been identified .. Slip and myself were talking about this a little with teaching kids to fish .. Then the fish with the sores.. Should probably be a seperate thread .. Kids handling fish ,,maybe a glove isn't a bad idea.

Big bluefish and gill rip= bit off fingers when your fingers go out the mouth, through the gill.

UNLESS YOU INTEND TO KEEP THE FISH>>>>DO NOT GILL THE FISH!!!!!

Yes it does alot od damage to the fish...even if you don't touch the gills there is enough bacteria on your hands to get the fished gills infected...plusyou damage the muscles and the fishes spin that way, also you could tear the gill plate off the fish...ONLY IF YOU INTEND TO KEEP IT....so sux it up and lip her or wear a "PUSSY PAW" (glove)

Thanks for the info...So the under the chin/gill grab is no good..:smash:

I was under the impression the fish released would be okay as long as you didnt touch the red part of the gills.. At least I've only released two big ones this way..hope they are still swimming..

But this raises a question..when you lip a fish..wont the bacteria on your hands transfer from the lip to gills..I mean they are inches apart from each other and work together.

(I lip 99% of the fish I catch except bloos of course, those I'll grab em by the tail or use the vulcan neck pinch method.

I always thought that would be dangerous though w/ a big fish (behind the gill neck pinch) b/c they would be harder to grab from the top, (heavier and fatter, hard to get your hand around em)..but from now on I will just lip em if I intend on releasing...

I get much more satisfaction seeing them swim away than seeing them die on the rocks...I still have plenty of meat in my freezer (just dont need to kill em all for fame & glory). I was praised by one of my friends last time for being so conservative...he couldnt believe I let such a big fish go...Well, lately..I only want a trophy, I broke 40" this year now I'm just after that heavy biatch).

The reason I grabbed the last one by the gills was because the surf was pretty big where I was Sat night and the fish had a mouth full of trebles..(I just wanted to grab it and get the hell away from the surf without having to worry about a getting trebles in the hand..or a good mouth grab.

I wont get a lip grabber tool b/c I like to travel light..Maybe check out those gloves..dont know if I can deal w/ them though..I'll take my chances w/ the vulcan neck pinch or lip it..or just keep the next biggun for my mom to cook.

Question: How do you support the underneath of a heavy bass w/ one hand in its mouth and the other on your rod?

Question: How do you support the underneath of a heavy bass w/ one hand in its mouth and the other on your rod?

put the rod in your mouth...:jump:
i tried to upload an image, but its to big and im not sure how to resize....:hidin: